1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of surface grinding and polishing and, more specifically, to a system for cooling a slurry compound used during polishing and grinding.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Surface polishing, such as the removal of scratches from glass, is currently accomplished by polishing systems that use various rotary tools and slurry compounds. One such system is described in the Tingley invention, U.S. Pat. No. 4,622,780 (xe2x80x9cTingleyxe2x80x9d). Tingley describes a hand-held rotary tool and a slurry container. The slurry container includes a pump that pumps a slurry compound onto the rotary tool as it grinds or polishes the surface.
Current systems, such as Tingley, however generate unwanted heat by the friction of the polishing rotary tool, by the pump inside the slurry container, or other powered elements in the system. The heat is transferred to the slurry as it circulates through the polishing system. As the temperature of the slurry rises, however, ill effects occur. For instance, as the temperature of the slurry compound rises, the polishing effectiveness of the slurry decreases. Catalysts within the slurry, such as cerium oxide, are intended to chemically react with, and consequently soften, the glass, making it easier to polish. However, when the polishing slurry temperature rises over a certain level, the chemical reaction with the catalyst slows down and the slurry loses its polishing effectiveness by over 50%.
Another ill effect caused by hot slurry compound is that as the temperature in the slurry rises, the polishing tool gets hot. The heat from the tool can distort the appearance of many surfaces, such as glass, leaving an unattractive warped or wavy result. The user must then stop work to wait for the slurry compound and the tool to cool down, thus leading to wasted time.
Therefore, because of the disadvantages of hot slurry compound, a system is needed that can cool slurry compound as it circulates through a grinding or polishing system.